Divided government threatens to clip wings of Congress' China hawks

“The worst correction we could make is for our China positioning to beryllium dictated by nan House of Representatives. There aren’t a batch of thoughtful argumentation makers complete there. We should make our ain policy,” said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a personnel of nan Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Biden management officials are group to springiness a wide China briefing to senators Wednesday afternoon, aft holding 2 consecutive classified briefings connected nan Chinese spy balloon and 3 unrelated aerial trade changeable down by nan military. Those meetings person shined a agleam ray connected bipartisan interest complete China’s surveillance capabilities, putting Beijing beforehand and halfway arsenic nan 118th Congress gets disconnected to a slow start.

Yet location are already signs that translating bipartisan interest into authorities would beryllium a struggle. Even senators who are cheerleading further action to clasp Beijing accountable — specified arsenic re-upping provisions to boost title pinch China that Democratic leaders scrapped from past year’s semiconductor measure — talk astir their priorities pinch astatine slightest immoderate doubt.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said successful a little question and reply Tuesday that “there’s desire to do immoderate of it, if we could,” but observed: “we’ll spot wherever nan House is.” A Schumer spokesperson later added that past year’s authorities “was a awesome measurement guardant to improving American competitiveness, but we request to do more.”

Lawmakers primitively had precocious hopes for that legislation, known arsenic nan CHIPS Act, arsenic a measurement to guidelines up to China. But nan last type did small much than subsidize microchips, pinch activity taking retired much China-specific provisions successful bid to easiness transition done some chambers aft much than a twelvemonth of bicameral debate.

Now, senators are eager to return up those scrapped measures, contempt nan added problem of partisan gridlock. Senators opportunity moreover provisions that won bipartisan support past year, specified arsenic a waste and acquisition discuss meant to trim costs for American manufacturers, are improbable to spell anyplace this term.

“The very beardown ballot we saw connected nan [trade provisions] is difficult to region from support that was behind” nan broader bill, said Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.). “That was offered arsenic an amendment, and arsenic a standalone, it would beryllium difficult this Congress to get that through, but I deliberation we should try.”

And nan prognosis isn’t looking amended elsewhere. The Foreign Relations Committee’s apical 2 senators are readying to present an updated type of a measure that would situation China’s system by strengthening U.S. competitiveness. But senators were clear there’s still a batch of specifications they’re ironing out.

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), chair of nan overseas relations panel, said that Democratic and Republican sheet unit are gathering to draught nan legislation. He added that he plans to meet pinch House Foreign Affairs Chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas) “on a wide scope of issues.”

“I would for illustration to deliberation from my conversations that location is bipartisan, bicameral interest” successful addressing China, he said.

Suzanne Wrasse, a spokesperson for Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), nan apical Republican connected nan panel, called bipartisan efforts to boost title pinch China a “work successful progress” but said nan “hope is that this Congress we tin debar different severely surgery legislative process connected nan Senate floor.”

On nan different broadside of nan Capitol, a spokesperson for McCaul said he is portion of nan chat connected nan imaginable authorities but had nary further specifications to stock astir nan negotiations. A spokesperson for nan Ways and Means Committee, nan counterpart to nan Senate Finance Committee that worked retired nan waste and acquisition discuss past year, did not respond to aggregate requests for comment. Meanwhile, nan House is connected recess until nan extremity of nan month, and nan Senate is group to beryllium retired adjacent week.

Not everyone is truthful pessimistic astir nan chances of moving legislation. Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and ranking personnel Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) some said connected Tuesday they’re hopeful astatine slightest immoderate of nan provisions — for illustration removing tariffs connected imports from processing nations and equipment utilized by American manufacturers — could beryllium revived this year.

And Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who sits connected nan Foreign Relations Committee, was optimistic that a important bipartisan committee ballot connected China title authorities could lead to activity connected nan Senate floor.

As for nan prospects of transition successful nan House, Kaine said “this whitethorn beryllium 1 of nan bills wherever it really helps for nan Senate to spell first.”

On nan nationalist information side, Democrats and Republicans connected some sides of Capitol Hill person sought to nudge nan Pentagon to amended posture U.S. forces successful nan Pacific successful bid to deter Beijing. Leaders of nan House and Senate Armed Services panels person sounded nan siren complete China’s subject modernization and atomic description , and they’ve made nan state a privilege arsenic they trade yearly defense legislation.

Emerging from a classified briefing connected Tuesday, immoderate senators besides based on Congress should money improvements successful “domain awareness” truthful nan subject tin amended way slow-moving aliases low-flying objects.

“I deliberation each of this is gonna supply a wake-up telephone and hopefully information to authorize and due money to get connected it,” said Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), who had an unidentified entity changeable down disconnected nan seashore of his authorities past week.

“I deliberation it’s a revealing infinitesimal for nan American group who haven’t been search this that this country, their leadership, has nary problem looking astatine nan full world, including nan American people, and lying their ass off,” Sullivan added of nan spy balloon. “And that’s dangerous.”

There’s besides been bipartisan statement connected arming Taiwan arsenic concerns turn that China could beryllium quickly building its subject capacity to invade nan self-governing land successful nan coming years.

Defense argumentation authorities enacted successful December incorporated a swath of provisions projected by Menendez and Risch aimed astatine beefing up Taiwan’s defense. Lawmakers notably voted to measurement up arms income to Taiwan, greenlighting $10 cardinal successful information assistance complete nan adjacent 5 years.

“If there’s 1 point that seems to unify Republicans and Democrats coming it’s addressing nan China threat, and nan spy balloon astir apt sewage everybody’s attraction for illustration thing else,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas).

Yet he underscored nan immense scope of “the challenges we face” connected nan rumor beyond nan balloon episode: “an fierce China, not only economically, but besides building a immense subject and atomic arms threat to not only Taiwan … but besides to nan region and nan remainder of nan world.”